Greeting-display card



Dec. 8, 1953 G. J. KLEIN ETAL 2,661,559

GREETING DISPLAY CARD Filed Sept. 10, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 GoldieJ.Klein BY Benjumi Klein INVENTORS.

ATTORNEY G. J. KLEIN ET AL GREETING DISPLAY CARD Filed Sept. 10. 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG.6

INVENTORS. Gold'ieJKlein BY Benjmin Klein 25a :lllfillllllilllm ATTORNEY Patented Dec. 8, 1953 GREETING-DISPLAY CARD Goldie J. Klein and Benjamin Klein, New York, N. Y.

Application September 10, 1951, Serial No. 245,948

4 Claims.

The present invention relates to a display box or miniature stage and more particularly to such a display structure constituted of a thin sheet material, such as stiff paper or cardboard, but, scored, and folded to provide a three-dimensional display box simulating a miniature stage.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a display box simulating a miniature stage which is of simple construction and which may be constituted of very inexpensive material so that the cost of the manufacture thereof will be at a minimum. In its simplest form a display box embodying the present invention may be constituted of a single sheet cut and scored and then folded into a three dimensional structure adaptable to receive a three-dimensional display. A display box is formed from a single sheet of material with little waste of cut away material and this, too, contributes to the'inexpensiveness of its manufacture.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a display box simulating a miniature stage which may be folded, for storage and shipment, into a thin package with all the elements lying in adjoining parallel planes. The assembly of a three-dimensional structure from the flat package may be easily and simply accomplished by merely pivoting several of the elements relative to the rest of the structure along fold or score lines provided. A display box embodying the present invention may, therefore, be shipped in the form of a thin, flat package, and when received by the ultimate user, may be easily and quickly assembled into an attractive three-dimensional display.

It is another object of the present invention t provide releasable locking means to releasably hold the display box in the assembled position. The locking means are an integral part of the display structure itself and are formed in structure during the original cutting and scoring thereof. The locking means are simple to operate, involving merely the insertion of a tab into a slot. The simplicity of this portion of the structure also contributes to the small expense of manufacture.

The display box simulating a miniature stage embodying the present invention, is especially adaptable for use in connection with the three dimensional display cards described and illustrated in our Patent No. 2,415,501, issued February 11, 1947, and our copending application, Serial Number 194,428, filed November 7, 1950. It should be noted, however, that the structure embodying the present invention is not limited to use solely with three dimensional display cards as de-,- scribed and illustrated in the above mentioned patent and application, and may be readily adapted for use with almost any three dimensional or other display material. However, the display cards described and illustrated .in the above mentioned patent and application may also be folded into a thin, fiat, package, and then readily assembled by pivoting some of the parts relative to the rest of the structure. For this reason such display cards have many advantages when associated with a display box embodying the present invention. The entire display structure, including the frame or a box embodying the present invention and the display material of the type disclosed in the above mentioned patent and application, may be completely assembled at a point remote from its place of use and shipped to the place of use in the form of a thin flat package and then readily erected into a three dimensional structure at the actual place of use.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a structure which may be either sup-.- ported on a horizontal surface or hung on a vertical surface, thus making the structure perfectly adaptable for many uses.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a display box which will closely simulate an actual theater stage and will, therefore, provide an interesting and attractivecontainer for the display material enclosed therein.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a display box with which a variety of different displays may be associated. The display box is so constructed that different displays may be easily interchanged by simply slipping them on and off the retaining members of the display box, thus a single display box may be repeatedly used with different forms and types of display material.

These and other obiects'and advantages of the present invention will be more particularly apparent from the following description and drawing of several particular embodiments of the invention. In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a front view of a cut and scored blank sheet of material from which a display box or miniature stage embodying the present invention is made;

Fig.2 is a plan view of the display box or stage and display material in the erected position; 1

Fig. 3- is a plan view thereof in the partially collapsed position;

Fig. 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view of one type of locking structure; L

Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 55 on Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is an enlarged sectional view taken along line 6-4; on Fig. 3 with the elements in the completely collapsed position;

Fig. 7 is a partially broken away plan view of a second embodiment of the invention, and

Fig. Sis a reduced perspective viewof the display box shown in Fig. '1 in an erected position without the display material associated therewith.

One embodiment of a display box 9 incorporat thin inexpensive sheet material, such materiak as stiff paper or cardboard may be used.-

A lower horizontal slit l0 and an upper slit arch like form,.define. the upper and lower limits .of the stage opening. Vertical side score lines 12'. and i3 combine with the lower and upper slits ill and H to provide flaps l4 and L5. and-define the side limits. of the stage openings. Each of the flaps ill .and 15 are provided another vertical .scoreline I6 and lulre: spectively. :Scorexlinelfi separates the left. hand side wing it irom the left hand back flap. |;|l, and siniilarly,.score line H separates. the right hand sidewing .24) from. the right hand back flap 21.

Inorder to provide .addedrigidity andstrength to the lower .edgeof the display box .9, hor zontal score. line 22 .is provided so that the thin .element 23 maybe folded .backwardlyat right angles to the. rest of the stage structure.

It. should be. noted when. the display box 9 is in the erected position, ,as. illustrated in 8, the front traine constituted of side face plates 24 and 25 and top and bottom-face plates .26.:and :2], respectively, will completely outline and define the stage. opening.

In. order. to .place the display box into. the erected position, as illustrated in Fig. 58,, the .flaps l4 and I5 are foldedalong score lines 112- and L3. in .a direction. into the plane of the. drawing until they. assume a. position substantially per-.- pendicularto-the side face. plates 2.4 and 2-5. By iolding'the back-fiapslfi. and 2| along score lineslfi and lit, respectivelyinto a position perpendicular to the. side. wings l8 and 20, respectiyely and. substantially parallel to the side face. plates 24 and 2-15, the entire stage will. :be in theerected position andready to receive the display material 3.0.

The-display material here illustrated in association with the display box embodying thepresent invention, is a form of .displaycard of the type described and illustrated in our patent andcc: pending application mentioned above. The display card is of the. type in which two portions are, movable relative. toone another in erecting the card, whereby the various horizontal and vertical elements making up the design of the display are. caused to assume their intended relativepositions.

Ascan be seen best in Fig. 5 thedisplay matee rial has a double layer base 3| and a double layer vertical sheet .32, the two layers in the base 3] are pasted or otherwise secured together to form a single sheet whilethe two'layers of the vertical sheet are connectedonly along their top edge .33 andtheir bottom edge :34; Formed by proper cut and score lines, as,v described and illustrated in our patent and co-opending appli- "oeived between the two layers of the vertical sheetlfl lie along score lines l6 and I1, respec- {Iyvoembodiments .of the locking structure for securing the base 3| of the display material 30 to the display box 9 are illustrated. The preferred form is shown clearest in Figs. 1, 2, and 5. A slot s3 is provided in. the c nter of the lower ed of the display box .9 and the display material 30 i provided with J. b. 45.. in. the. center of. the ,front edge of th has 31. By in erting the. tab. ddninto slot -l3.;t.he hasc .3! of thedisnlay ma: terial 30. .andthe. display box .9 willbe relsesalhl but securely held the proper relative position",

Another mho dilu nt .01. th lockin is illustrated in Pier-5. this. embodiment-- slot 4.3 or tab 4.4 i provided. .liowe er. when cut in the ori inal .hlanh,v tabs .45. are cut into the, side wines is and 2c. The tebsds extend inwardly a -,small di t nce from. the score lin s 12 and 3.3 and th ir lower ed es. .45 are located above sli All y a distanc .substantia ly equal to. the. thick: ncssof the, base .31 of th display material; 3.1).. The dcnth of hebase. .3 I, is sligh ly reater than the. width of :theiside. Wings is. and 20.. Thus. in assembling the parts, the outer edges of. the heselaal .of: the d lay .mate ialto. may h inserte.d.into.;the slo ts formed by the l we edges 46,..Qf the. tabs c5. and the slit m.

Iihe entire assembly. of the display box 9. and display material ;35l, maybe easily. .folded into. a thin flat packa e asmay be .best appreci t d from Figs. .3 and 6. 'ljoaccomolish this the tab 42.4 is removed-from slot 43 and. the base 3| of the dis.- play material 39.. fielded upwardly along. the lower ed e .3llof the vertical sheet 32 into a position .iha lllane substantially parallel to the vertical sheet. 312;. As is, fully illustrated and described in. our ,aiorementioned. patentand .co-pending 3 p? plication, the various horizontal elements 3.! and vertical elements 38 making up thedisplaymeterial, will, foldand move into adiacen-t. yertical planes all substantially parallel to the vertical sheet. 132. Thecdisplay box. is then freev to be placed in; the collapsed positionby piyotmg the side wings |sand2lls clockwise as shown in Fig.3 about score, lines. l2 andv [3 respectively. {the side wing |.8;will;the1 be substantially in the position in which it is shown in Fig. 1 and the side wing :20zwill be folded into a posit-ion underlyingzthe right face plate, 25.. During this move,- ment back flaps l9 and 2! will piyotabolltlscore lines mend. If! respectively until the back flap IBis. also substantially in the position in hich it is shownlin Fig. 1 and the back flap .2! is folded intoa position underlying the right side wing 21). In the completely collapsed position, asim .dicatedFig. 6, all elements of the display box and display material lie in adjacent parallel planes-andthe .entirestructure will form av thin be used with types of display material other than that herein particularly illustrated. However, the combination herein illustrated has a great advantage of being adaptable to be folded into the thin fiat package as just described. By eliminating the cuts and scores necessary to form the horizontal elements 31 and the vertical elements 38 of the display material 30, a complete miniature stage is provided and any type of display material desired to be framed and held in a miniature stage may be inserted into the display box.

If desired, a larger display area can be achieved by assembling the elements with the side wings l8 and 20 folded inwardly more than 90 so that an acute angle is formed between side wings l8 and 20 and the side face plates 24 and 25 respectively.

Another modification of the display box is illustrated in Fig. '7. In this figure score lines I6 and I! have been eliminated and the side wings l8 and 20 constitute the entire area of flaps l4 and I5. If the entire area of flaps I l and I5 is used, the stage area provided will, of course, be much deeper. However, as can be readily appreciated, these flaps can be cut to any desired length.

In Fig. 7 only one side of the stage is shown. The structure other than as above described is substantially identical to that heretofore described and illustrated. The flap [5a is folded backwardly along score line 13a to a position perpendicular to side face plate 25a. In this particular embodiment, however, it is necessary for the display material 30a to be provided with two side flaps 41a (only one is shown). The side flaps 41a may be integral with the vertical sheet 32a and folded at right angles thereto along lines 48. It should be noted that the side flaps 41a should be of double thickness so that they can be slipped over the flap l5a and the other side flap not shown. This structure has the advantage of permitting the display designer to include interchangeable display material on the side wings of the stage opening.

While in the particular embodiments described and illustrated herein it has been shown that the display material 30 is associated with display box 9 by slipping the back flaps l8 and [9 into an envelop formed by the display material, it is, of course, not necessary that this form of association of the two parts be employed. The display material 30 may be pasted, stapled, or otherwise secured to the display box 9 in any convenient manner.

We claim:

1. A collapsible display box comprising a front face unit having a pair of rearwardly extending portions and a display material back unit, the latter including a vertical backing sheet and a horizontal base member, said vertical backing sheet of said display material unit being constituted of two layers joined together at the upper and lower edges thereof, the rearwardly extending portions of the front face unit being inserted between said layers of said vertical backing sheet, the back unit being foldable upon itself in a vertical direction and then foldable, together with the constituent parts of the front unit and with the units in assembled relation, in a lateral direction, the folded portions of both the back and front units lying against the back face of the front unit when they are in such folded condition.

2. The collapsible display box as claimed in claim 1 in which the front unit is scored and cut to present an aperture therein, whereby portions of said front unit are foldable to support display material.

3. A collapsible display box as claimed in claim 1 in which the composite back unit and front unit, when in erect position, is capable of maintaining such erect position at an obtuse angle to the surface on which it rests, the composite units being supported in said erect position by the bottom edge of the front unit and the edge constituting the fold between the vertical and horizontal members of the display material.

4. A collapsible display box as claimed in claim 1 wherein the composite back and front units are so related in their assembled condition that when the base member of the display material is brought into a horizontal position, it will automatically retain the constituent parts of the front unit at a predetermined angle to the face of the front unit.

GOLDIE J. KLEIN.

BENJAMIN KLEIN.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,041,738 Carter Oct. 22, 1912 2,119,931 Smith June 7, 1938 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 836,881 France Oct. 25, 1938 472,940 Germany Mar. 7, 19-29 

